Spring 2019

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SPRING 2019 HOMESCHOOL IOWA 13
Speech therapy with your goals, on
your schedule.
Rachel Burns, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Licensed in Iowa and South Dakota
In person or tele-therapy available
(712) 266-3313
by a Christian leader. The tough thing with these folks is they
look to you, and your family, as the standard, and ignore God.
When the inevitable failure of the leader occurs, the faith of
the groupie is shattered. They can’t function. They can’t pray.
All they can think is, “If expert so-and-so couldn’t make it, how
can I?”
• They Say, “I’ll Never Be Perfect, So Why Try?” The whole
concept of laughing off moral failure is completely unscriptural.
We can’t have a“Stick a geranium in your hat and be sinful,” men-
tality. This kind of flippant abandonment of holiness and godly
standards of living is eating away at Christian homes. It is faulty
logic to say we should abandon our pursuit of holiness as unat-
tainable. Hundreds of thousands of people play golf, knowing
they will never hit a “hole-in-one” on each attempt. “So why try?”
Why not purposely hit the ball in the woods? Why not land it in
the pond or sand trap? In every field of life, we strive to be the
best we can be. We must not fall short in our highest calling. We
must not sin to enable “grace” to abound. That is nothing more
than cheap grace. Not the costly grace that our Savior bled and
died for. In Philippians 3, Paul encourages us to, “. . . press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Why Must We Strive For Perfection?
First, because God demands it. “Be ye therefore perfect, even
as your heavenly father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48. See also Gen.
17:1, Deut. 18:13, 2 Cor. 13:11, 2 Tim. 3:17, Jas. 1:4)
Secondly, we have an obligation to walk uprightly, setting an
example for the believers. (1 Tim 4:12) People need encourage-
ment from others who are also striving for these heavenly goals.
You are an ambassador for Jesus Christ, whether good or bad.
We must run to, and embrace, the chance to be an example for
others. We must not shrink back or hide in fear.
WhenWe Don’t Measure Up
Recognizing our need to be “Salt & Light,” it’s tough to deal
with the reality that we’re shining about as bright as a candle
in the wind and tasting rather bland. However, we can’t let our
failures and foibles spoil what God wants to do through us. We
need to keep short accounts with God. Keep the slate clean. If
we do sin,“We have an advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ the
righteous.” ( John 2:1) Confess your sin, repent, and move on.
There is too much work to do, and we should not allow our
inadequacies or mistakes to keep us ineffective.
Allow Inspection
Of what benefit is a support group where everyone is acting
or pretending? Why not be real? Share your heart with
a close circle of trusted friends. If you’re not doing well,
don’t lie. If your children are not in a good place, spiritu-
ally speaking, don’t hide the truth.
Ask for prayer, and be willing to change if need be. If
someone confronts you about the behavior of one of
your children, thank them for caring enough to let you
know. Stop living with the guilt of skeletons in the closet.
Clean it out and start over!
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confess-
eth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
A Brother Loves at All Times
We need covenant brothers and sisters who are willing to walk
with us on this road of discipleship. I’mnot sure where our family
would be without godly people who are willing to love us un-
conditionally. Sometimes that love motivates them to rebuke
us for moral failure. Other times it moves them to embrace us
and pray for us.
Remember the key is to walk together in integrity. “And we,
with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being trans-
formed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes
from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18) Throw away the
masks! Allow the transformation to take place. Carnality is like a
cancerous growth: the longer you ignore it, the faster it kills you.
Set An Example For The Believers.
The Apostle Paul told the church at least three times to be
imitators of himself (see 1. Cor. 4:14; 11:1, Phil. 3:17). We see this
pattern also in 1. Th. 1:6, 1 Tim 4:6, & Heb 6:12. It is not wrong
for others to look to our behavior as a guideline for holy living.
Are we not to be imitators of Christ? Therefore, in our conduct,
speech, and all other aspects of our life, we must uphold God’s
standard of perfection in absolute purity. This is truly the call
which we heard from Christ, to give all we are, for all He is. Let us
embrace it, and rest in it.
Our world is in need of love. It is also in need of leaders who
aren’t afraid to stand up and be counted. We can truly represent
Christ in this Post-Christian culture. As the Body, we need each
other more now than we have at any other point in Ameri-
can history. The world needs us. Christ is calling. Will we answer?
Israel Wayne is a homeschool graduate and father of ten who is passionate about de-
fending the Christian faith and developing a Biblical worldview. He is the Director of Family
Renewal and author of the books Answers for Homeschooling: Top 25 Questions Critics Ask,
Education: Does God Have an Opinion, Pitchin’ a Fit!: Overcoming Angry and Stressed-Out
Parenting, among others. More information may be found at .
We need covenant brothers &
sisters who are willing to walk
with us on this road of discipleship.